Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alice Springs and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Alice Springs: $1,798 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

88

Cost of Living Index in Alice Springs
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Alice Springs Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Alice Springs

🇦🇺 Australia

$1,798

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Alice Springs and in Barcelona

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Alice Springs and in Barcelona actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,798 in Alice Springs versus $2,381 in Barcelona.

Alice Springs $1,798
Barcelona $2,381

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,720 in Alice Springs versus $3,406 in Barcelona.

Alice Springs $2,720
Barcelona $3,406

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,641 in Alice Springs versus $4,431 in Barcelona.

Alice Springs $3,641
Barcelona $4,431

Living in Alice Springs costs roughly 24% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Alice Springs 33% above, Barcelona 76% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.27 A$24.85

$17.89 €15.92

-3.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.0 A$119

$66.2 €58.9

25.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.70 A$15.40

$13.69 €12.18

-21.84%

Cappuccino

$4.28 A$6.16

$3.06 €2.72

39.87%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 A$4.13

$3.07 €2.73

-6.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 A$4.06

$1.94 €1.73

45.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.48 A$9.33

$3.87 €3.44

67.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.54 A$13.72

$4.61 €4.10

106.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 A$2.05

$1.30 €1.16

10.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 A$3.03

$2.10 €1.87

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 A$2.57

$1.83 €1.62

-2.73%

Eggs

$5.10 A$7.33

$4.62 €4.11

10.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.17 A$14.63

$17.36 €15.44

-41.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.29 A$11.94

$9.28 €8.25

-10.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.50 A$20.87

$19.83 €17.64

-26.88%

Apples (1kg)

$3.84 A$5.53

$3.01 €2.68

27.57%

Banana (1kg)

$3.00 A$4.32

$2.03 €1.81

47.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.63 A$3.78

$2.65 €2.36

-0.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.85 A$9.86

$2.87 €2.55

138.68%

Potato (1kg)

$2.49 A$3.58

$2.16 €1.92

15.28%

Onion (1kg)

$2.28 A$3.28

$2.15 €1.91

6.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 A$3.50

$1.47 €1.31

65.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 A$3.40

$0.88 €0.79

168.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$28.22 A$40.60

$6.93 €6.16

307.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.77 A$19.82

$7.83 €6.96

75.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.22 A$4.64

$1.39 €1.24

131.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.59 A$8.04

$2.63 €2.34

112.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.79 A$4.02

$2.91 €2.59

-4.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$68.9 A$99.1

$25.46 €22.64

170.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.84 A$6.97

$3.00 €2.66

61.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 A$2.24

$1.44 €1.28

7.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.74 A$39.92

$33.20 €29.53

-16.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 A$1.94

$1.86 €1.65

-27.42%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$37.6K A$54.1K

$32.3K €28.8K

16.30%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$23.0K A$33.0K

$31.7K €28.2K

-27.56%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$213 A$306

$183 €163

16.29%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$28.21 A$40.59

$13.61 €12.11

107.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.86 A$66.0

$32.93 €29.29

39.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.9 A$81.9

$54.7 €48.65

4.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.95 A$25.83

$16.52 €14.70

8.66%

Cinema Ticket

$13.94 A$20.06

$11.23 €9.99

24.13%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,941 A$2,793

$954 €849

103.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.6K A$29.6K

$16.6K €14.8K

23.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.1 A$105

$86.0 €76.5

-14.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$12.03 A$17.31

$39.11 €34.78

-69.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 A$198

$104 €92.2

32.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 A$173

$119 €106

1.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,405 A$2,022

$1,695 €1,508

-17.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$518 A$746

$1,276 €1,135

-59.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,267 A$1,823

$2,576 €2,291

-50.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$765 A$1,101

$1,922 €1,710

-60.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,502 A$6,478

$7,281 €6,477

-38.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,696 A$6,757

$5,010 €4,456

-6.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,301 A$6,189

$2,227 €1,981

93.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

3.28

79.88%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Alice Springs: October 19, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Alice Springs

$518 28.8%

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6% 146% $758

Groceries & Markets

Alice Springs

$365 20.3%

Barcelona

$325 13.7% 11% $40

Eating Out

Alice Springs

$296 16.5%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 8.9% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alice Springs

$287 15.9%

Barcelona

$229 9.6% 20% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Alice Springs

$154 8.6%

Barcelona

$156 6.6% 1.3% $2.1

Getting Around

Alice Springs

$93 5.2%

Barcelona

$47 2% 48.9% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Alice Springs

$85 4.7%

Barcelona

$77 3.2% 9% $7.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,405 in Alice Springs and $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Alice Springs pays 93% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $83.0 in Alice Springs vs $66.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $365 vs $325 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Alice Springs

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

11:16 11:16 AM

02:46 2:46 AM

8 h 30 min behind Alice Springs

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,855

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Alice Springs Barcelona 15,150 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Alice Springs
Barcelona

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Alice Springs vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Alice Springs wins on cost – living expenses run 32% lower than in Barcelona. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Alice Springs the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 93% higher in Alice Springs, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,405 in Alice Springs versus $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 12% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Alice Springs – a meal for two runs $83.0 versus $66.0 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,798 in Alice Springs versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Alice Springs but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Alice Springs the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Alice Springs delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,798 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Alice Springs hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Alice Springs and Barcelona are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Alice Springs gentler on the wallet – expenses run 32% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.